The gathering of some consortium members also addressed the use cases for the reference architecture test setup. The lab wants to accelerate time to market for disaggregated components and thus promote disaggregation in the industry to push it to maturity.
“Today, is open RAN technology mature? Not yet,” acknowledged Ranganai from Capgemini. “That's why we need test labs. This is why the i14y Consortium is here to build this lab - to test and measure the maturity of that disaggregation. Is this technology really viable? There are still question marks. And for disaggregation, yes, we know the benefits on paper, but is it practical? We are trying to exercise through proof of concept, proof of testing that, yes, everyone is embracing it. That's why we need a lab. i14y is that lab.”
The i14y Lab aims to help address and resolve those concerns and keep progressing towards the future model of disaggregation for telecommunications networks. It is a step towards realizing our vision. And every step helps move the mark closer to the end goal of redirecting the telecommunications industry towards faster technological innovation and open collaboration.